elizabeth hurley interview - photography by marc baptiste

Elizabeth Hurley is on holiday, floating in a pool in the Caribbean when the call comes in. “I heard the phone beep, so I swam over and my agent, Gueran, is on the other end, and says ecstatically, ‘Liz, there’s an amazing new show and I want you to have the part. And that’s all I’m going to tell you.”

Just this week, despite rumblings that reality television, like the once-great polar ice cap, is melting, E! anted up another $80 million on the Kardashians, betting they’re here to stay, well, at least through 2019. To hedge that bet, or perhaps to reduce their toxicity levels, they’re also debuting their first scripted drama, The Royals, airing Sundays at 10p.m. Playing the queen is, you guessed it, Elizabeth Hurley.

Elizabeth sits down with me following our Genlux photo shoot at the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive to talk about the show, motherhood, and her 20 years of charity service. Of her role as the queen, she admits she doesn’t play very nice. “It’s a little ambiguous whether my character’s a good or bad person. I think ultimately she does bad things, but for the greater good.” She lowers her voice, adding, “I know a lot of evil people have said that in their time.”

The Royals’ creator, Mark Schwahn, also created One Tree Hill, and Elizabeth’s a big fan. “I think he’ll be a friend for life. He’s a great guy—my age, married. No, there’s nothing romantic between us. I get on with him so well. If we should be so lucky to be a successful show and work together for years, it would be a joy to work with Mark. It’s not often you feel that way. The big fear is, what if, on one hand, it’s a nightmare and you’d be so lucky that it’d be a success—but on the other hand, oh my God, you’d be trapped!”

The Royals comes at a perfect time. And perfect place. For eight years, Elizabeth had been the devoted mother, staying away from long-term television or film roles to raise her son, Damian, now 12, out in the country. She decided to return to work but wanted to stay close to home. Lucky for her, The Royals happened to film, where else, in London. “Do you know how few television shows are shot in London?” she asks.

Damian is Elizabeth’s first passion and love, and the conversation always seems to draw back to him. “I’m an obsessed mommy. He’s the light of my life. I’m a little bit mommy-centric. He’s my first thought when I wake up in the morning. I did every school run and all his cooking—I really loved that.”

Elizabeth quantifies her concerns for Damian’s future. “I have 800 billion fears for my kid. Many, many! I went to sleep dreaming of glue-sniffing when he was six months old—the dread of it. As mommies, we’re so worried about the small things. We’re nervous wrecks and we probably drive our kids demented with our worry.”

Elizabeth’s own childhood had its challenges, like being picked on for being too thin. “I wish that that would happen now,” she jokes. “I was very, very skinny and underdeveloped. I was flat-chested and the last girl in my class to grow bosoms. I was the shortest girl in class, too, only 4-foot-9, until I was 15. All of my friends had blossomed and were gorgeous. I was called ‘Tin Ribs.’ I used to fold up Kleenex very carefully and put them in the back pockets of my jeans. Then I’d look in the mirror and ask, ‘Do I look curvy?’ Pathetic, I know.”

Tin Ribs, indeed. In 1997, Elizabeth took on the sexy role for which she’s best known, playing secret agent Vanessa Kensington in Mike Myers’ Austin Powers movies. And this year, that once scrawny kid signed on to model for her 21st year with beauty giant Estee Lauder. “They’ve been a phenomenal company and have become some of my best friends in the world. They’ve been so supportive and loyal to me—through the thick of a lot of things. They understand that an awful lot of women who buy their products are my age and older.”

As loyal as Estée Lauder is to Elizabeth, she’s been equally loyal to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, having raised funds and awareness for them for the last 20 years. “That’s my key charity. They’re a phenomenal A-rated organization. We’ve raised more than half a billion dollars. We employ fabulous scientists all over the world who are making breakthroughs all the time. I also help Elton with his AIDS foundation, and I’m a patron for a few kids’ charities in London. I donate the whole of October for all the fundraising activities I can.”

This year, June 10, to be exact, Elizabeth turns, ahem, 50. The new 30, I assure her, and in her case it’s true. Still, she begins to fidget. “I know there’s a big birthday coming up. I know it’s something I have to address mentally. I haven’t yet. And people keep saying, ‘Are you having a party?’ Don’t rush me. I might have to go to an Ashram and stand on my head for a few weeks and find myself. I’ve never been a great one for milestones like that.”

Growing older, but seeing life through her son’s perspective, is what brings Elizabeth her happiest moments. “We obviously become a little cynical and a little jaded. Especially in a business like mine, where at times we can be quite spoiled. Seeing everything through Damian’s eyes has made things really special again. I think I’ve become much nicer. Plus, I think I understand the male sex a bit better by having one sitting next to me all the time. Simpler than us,” she says with a long pause. “Simpler.”